Some common (and good) Mexican food:
Tacos al pastor Pastor tacos, seasoned pork. Good and reliable.
Alambre Like fajitas, meat cooked with onions and peppers
Gringa A flour tortilla folded flat with cheese and meat
Enchiladas Rolled-up tortillas, chicken (usually), cheese, lettuce, green sauce
Chilaquiles Nachos with cheese in green sauce
Huarache A big, thick, flat tortilla with beans, cheese, sauce, and anything
Pozole Red soup, chicken (usually), big corn, vegetables (really good)
Mole A sauce of many ingredients, can be red, green, black, and more
Chiles rellenos Stuffed bell peppers
Chiles en nogada Perhaps my favorite food in Mexico
Coctel de camarón Shrimp cocktail
Filete de pescado Filet of fish, can be prepared many ways
You can find more in my Ultimate Guide to Authentic Eating in Mexico.
Comidas
A staple of Mexican food is comida, which translates as either food or lunch. Mexicans typically eat their second meal of the day between 2 and 4 p.m. Though the meal is earlier, like dinner north of the border, comida is the largest meal of the day, with several courses, soup, meat, beans, and tortillas.
Restaurants that serve a full Mexican comida are called fondas, or fonditas. They have set menus that include a choice of soup (often vegetable or noodles), rice, beans, tortillas, and then the meal of the day, which could be a piece of meat in sauce, a stuffed pepper, enchiladas, or many other dishes. They include unlimited agua, a watered-down juice made with fresh fruit like strawberry, lime, melon, or tamarindo. The pitcher will be left on your table.
A meal at a fondita typically costs between 20-50 pesos ($1.50 – 4 USD).
Ceviches are like seafood salads and often include shrimp, fish, octopus, or some other seafood. Unlike in Peru, the source of the original ceviche, Mexican ceviches usually contain cooked fish, rather than raw.
Fish is typically served whole with a small salad, rice, French fries, or nachos. Bring your Spanish dictionary to decipher all the options, such as frito (fried), empanizado (breaded), al mojo de ajo (with garlic) or a la diabla (spicy).
pescadillas, which are quesadillas with fish (pescado). They should be cheap and ready to be doused in hot sauce.
Authentic Mexican Restaurants
Learn how to spot these places. Most taquerias have a trompo (vertical spit) of pastor outside of the restaurants, although many nicer places won’t.
Around 11 a.m., the fonditas begin to open. Look for big concrete rooms with an open kitchen on one side and a hand written menu of daily specials on the wall.
For finer dining, any place that looks crowded with locals is a good bet.
Lighter than juice are aguas: look for jamaica (hibiscus leaves), horchata (sweetened rice drink) or tamarindo
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g150812-d3531227-Reviews-Comida_Casera-Playa_del_Carmen_Yucatan_Peninsula.html
Adriana and her husband Small family place ran by two delightful ladies with their daughter greetings From Adriana, Ramon, And Brenda.
watch them make Jamaica water.
Its small but it's great for both breakfast and lunch. Its extremely cheap and the staff is friendly! Go taste some great local food!
a choice of 3 or 4 main courses served along with soup, tortillas, beans, salsa and a glass of JAMAICA (pronouced HA MY KA) which is like an iced tea made from hibiscus blossoms. Adriana and Ramon also offer breakfast. The hotcakes are incredible!
If you are around on Thursdays, The specialty is a large, breaded fish fillet with rice, beans and salad
If you can get a seat on the street, it's also a great place to people-watch and watch the world going by.
El Asador de Manolo, Argentinean Steakhouse on 10th Avenue has a lunch special every day with comida corrida for $5 including entrée, main course and a drink. Open for dinner as well. Manolo brings his years of experience from Buenos Aires and Sur restaurants with an a la carte menu with the best grilled arrachera in town (marinated flank steak). http://www.cancunsouth.com/cit_playa_rest.html
